The Marriage of Severus, Lord Prince and Lady Hermione Granger
by TheTitaniumSerpent
Summary: Medieval AU, post-war one-shot which turned into several chapters: the court of King Albus of Anglia has gathered to celebrate the end of war against the Franks. SS/HG.
1. Chapter 1

_I gift this fic to my husband, whom I shall not call "Mr TheTitaniumSerpent, lest he strangle me in my sleep. We're celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary, and he loves the middle-ages. I usually don't do prompts because people ask me for threesomes and something other than SSHG, but this was fun. I have no beta, and English isn't my first language. _

_About the last names... pretend the Norman conquest never happened :D I couldn't change all the names to appropriate ones._

* * *

At long last the war against Voldemort, the self-styled King of the magical Franks, was won, and His Royal Majesty King Albus summoned his followers and subjects to celebrate his victory. They all came: rewards were asked and granted, loot divided and war stories shared amidst grand celebratory feasts.

Much glory had been won by some: the mortal blow was delivered by the young and gallant knight Henry 'Harry' Potter, and he had asked for (and had been granted) the hand of young lady Guinevere 'Ginny' Weasley in marriage: King Albus himself paid a generous dowry for her and granted them more lands close to the Potter's hereditary lands.

The young knight's father James had not won himself great glory: he'd charged valiantly against the foe, of course, and had plundered generously into his coffers from the enemy lands, but he'd spent quite a lot of time drinking and raping, and had caught a rather embarrassing disease from one of the wenches he'd used, although one of the whores was more likely to blame for that. His wife, Lady Lilie 'Lily' Potter, would quite likely be displeased: her lord husband was currently being treated with mercury for his ailment, but the state of his skin made sure that none but the cheapest of whores in Anglia would serve him, gold coins or not. It was said the current lady Potter was a dreadful harridan, and Lord James bitterly regretted ever marrying her.

Where Lord James Potter's fierce attack and Henry Potter's fatal blow upon the enemy had been rewarded, the war had really been won with a cunning strategy involving a surprise attack and various potions as well as a plot involving the false assassination of King Albus, all devised by Severus Snape, the last living descendant of the once influential Prince-lineage. The last Lord Prince had only managed to beget girls by all his three wives, and only one of those had lived old enough to be married, by which time old Lord Prince had wasted the family fortune in drink and gambling, and the family estates were in ruin. Young Lady Eileen Prince had eloped and married well below her station, wedding a Muggle cobbler by the name of Snape, who'd taken her in the hopes of large dowry, but had drank away every single coin of what he'd gotten. Eileen Snape had died of consumption expedited by hunger when the harvest had been bad for several years and her husband had been too drunk to work for money, and the cobbler Toby Snape had drank himself to an early grave soon thereafter.

Young master Severus had turned out to be an intelligent boy, if ugly and as severe as his name, and the King had funded his education in a monastery school. The boy had a good head on him, and a love for learning everything and anything, from reading and writing in several languages, not only English and French but also Occitan, Latin and Greek, and some said he even knew a few words in Hebrew and Arabic as well. He'd learned the magical arts along with natural philosophy, dabbled in alchemy and potions, dissected specimens with ease and duelled like a master. He was one of the finest minds in the court of King Albus, and in the end, his strategies and cunning plots had won the war against their foe. Rumours said he'd also bravely infiltrated the enemy camp posing as a soldier and brought back vital information, though it hadn't been proven, and some, like Lord Potter and his friend Lord Black, blamed him of cowardice and treachery... but never in front of King Albus.

The feasts to celebrate their victory were truly magnificent, and rewards were doled out. Lord Severus Snape was granted back the Prince-estates and his lordship, which, upon his grandfather's death, had been returned to the crown in lack of direct male heirs – old Lord Prince had refused to acknowledge his daughter's son as his heir, considering he hadn't agreed to the match, and had disowned his daughter. His grandmother had entered a monastery upon her husband's death, and though Charles Potter had humbly asked King Albus to grant his son James the Prince-estates, they'd remained in the King's possession until that day, when they were given to Severus Snape, the new Lord Prince, as reward for his services. He was also granted a generous portion of the war treasure, which he promised to use to restore the estates.

When King Albus asked him if he had any other boon he'd like to request, Lord Severus surprised everyone (except King Albus himself, who was rarely surprised by anything) by asking for the hand of the young and recently orphaned Lady Hermione Granger. Lady Hermione's father, the late Lord Granger, had been of Walloon Muggle nobility, and sworn allegiance to the King of Burgundy: he'd been a kind and gentle man. When he found out his daughter possessed magical abilities, he sent for the best educators for her, and so Lady Hermione, who'd so far learned household management and directing servants, sewing, embroidery, dancing, playing the harp and dulcimer and singing (though frankly she sang very badly and sounded more like a duck than a nightingale) now learned how to use her wand to manage a large household and how to brew various potions. Her primary teacher, Madam Minerva from the Scottish McGonagall clan, recognised her extreme intelligence and talent, and managed to convince her father to send her to King Albus' court In Anglia to receive further education, though it was unheard of for a girl. Lady Hermione had also learned to read and write in Latin, English and French, which was uncommon although not unheard of for a woman, but she also possessed talents in the magical arts of transfiguration, charms, potions, herbology and, out of all things, arithmancy, which was usually only taught for boys.

Being in King Albus' court saved her life, in the end: Lord and Lady Granger, along with Lady Hermione's brother, were all killed in a ruthless attack by Lord Voldemort's forces. Lord Malfoy stormed the castle where her family resided, and instead of imprisoning the nobly born family for ransom as was customary, he had the entire family executed with the Killing Curse. Lady Hermione grieved bitterly for the loss of her brother and parents.

When the war had ravaged the land, Lord Voldemort's forces had attacked one of the lesser castles, where Lady Hermione had been residing at that time. She'd rallied the house-elves and arranged a fierce defence of the castle until help arrived, and employed various household charms and transfigurations with such fierce cunning and ruthlessness that grown wizards had shivered at the sight of her, and many developed respect for cooking implements, while quite a few refused to eat meat cooked in a spit for a very long time.

Lady Hermione was now eighteen, and her father had never negotiated a betrothal for her: therefore King Albus could now decide for a proper match for her. She wasn't considered a great beauty, but she was young and talented, and she'd caught the eye of the young knight Sir Roland 'Ron' Weasley, the best friend of young Lord Henry Potter and the brother of young Lord Potter's betrothed. Sir Roland had already made the preliminary inquiries for Lady Hermione's dowry, which King Albus himself was to pay from his coffers.

King Albus was a married man himself*, though he'd never sired any children of his own. His queen, a noble-born witch and seer, Lady Sybill, was only present in formal occasions such as these, usually holding her own court in another castle with the king's sister Ariana. King Albus would probably be succeeded by his brother Prince Aberforth and his sons: that'd be confirmed by the Wizengamot, which functioned like the Muggle Witenaġemot. As a married man he understood the importance of a good wife to a lord.

"Lord Prince," King Albus addressed Severus, "Sir Roland from the house of Weasley has already expressed interest her hand in marriage, though I have not yet granted his request. Would you explain why you wish for her hand in marriage? Would you not accept the hand of another witch?"

"Sire, may I be frank in my words?" asked Severus, Lord Prince, respectfully.

"You may," the King promised with a nod.

"Thank you, sire. I have never yet met a woman so worthy in my life," Severus said, and everyone could hear an insulted, furious gasp from Lady Lilie, Lord James Potter's wife. The rumours said she'd spurned Severus Snape for his poverty and lack of prospects in their youth to marry the wealthier and more handsome Lord James: she had been a great beauty, although the years and multiple pregnancies had now greatly diminished her looks, when she was nearly forty years of age. The rumours said she had always enjoyed toying with the affections of admirers, although their numbers had diminished as years had gone by. Apparently she'd lost the admiration of Lord Severus and was none too pleased about it, many thought smugly.

"She is intelligent and ambitious," continued Severus. "She speaks and writes in multiple languages. I wish to nurture her gifts and talents instead of burying her in housework and childbed like many others would." These spikes were directly aimed at sir Roland Weasley, whose family was notoriously fertile: the women married into the family were constantly pregnant, as were many female servants in their houses and even peasants in their lands. Sir Roland had never learned to read in any language, opting in the studies of warfare casting and attack hexes, hunting and jousting. "I would have her carry my heirs, but I would also have her continue her studies and expand to fields beyond what she's been allowed so far. I believe we would both enjoy the arrangement and each other. Sire, I would ask for no dowry. She, herself, would be a treasure for me."

King Albus smiled: Lord Severus would never say those words out loud here, in front of these witches and wizards, but King Albus could see into the hearts of his people and he knew love: Severus Snape, Lord Prince, was well and truly in love with the young lady. The dowry requested by sir Roland was not insubstantial, but more than that, the services granted by Lord Severus were more important than those delivered by Sir Roland... and topped anything what Sir Roland could deliver in the future. Lady Hermione was a brilliant young witch: the children from the union of her and Lord Severus would be at least as brilliant, compared to much more average ones from a marriage to Sir Roland.

"Lady Hermione," he addressed the young witch in question, and the courtiers moved to let her in front. The young Lady, who was dressed in modest court robes of excellent quality, had apparently forgotten a quill into her bushy hair, where it stuck out from the right side, half-way buried in a mound of wild curls. Her hands were hidden by her gloves and clutched, but Albus was quite certain they'd have ink stains. The young woman curtsied with grace: she had great poise.

"Yes, sire?" she asked humbly.

"Were I to ask for your opinion of this match, what would you say, Lady Hermione?" asked King Albus gently.

"Sire, I do not wish to insult anyone," said the Lady Hermione. "I will do whatever you wish of me." Albus was, of course, well aware that Lady Hermione did have opinions of her own, and strong ones at that, but she was polite and respectful of her superiors and her ruler.

"Yet I'd first hear yours," he prompted. "Two fine men have asked for your hand in marriage. Which one would you have me choose?"

"Sire, if you would hear my opinion... I would rather have Lord Prince," she said clearly and bravely, and the court around her gasped audibly. Sir Roland was a young, tall, well-muscled redhead with blue eyes and a friendly disposition, his skin tanned from lots of time spent outside in various physical activities, while Severus Snape, Lord Prince, was anything but handsome, with a thin frame and sallow skin of a scholar, frequently smelled of the bitter herbs and dead things used for potions, and was a good twenty years her senior, but also usually sour and angry, prone to snapping, had a sharp tongue and tendency to deliver nasty and impolite retorts, and had usually been quite impatient with her in all their interactions, as he was with everyone. Lord Severus was, of course, a lord himself, while Sir Roland was merely the youngest of several sons of Lord Arthur Weasley, and as such, his prospects weren't as good as Lord Prince's, but he was very talented in the jousting field, and many a young maiden had dreamt of catching his eye... amongst them young Lady Lavender, Lord Brown's eldest daughter, who was rumoured to have been warming his bed last year. Lady Hermione had never been one to measure a man's worth by his fortune and prospects: she had always followed her heart.

"And If I asked you why?" King Albus asked the young woman.

"Sire, as he said, he'd allow me to continue with my studies. He would be a demanding husband, but I believe he demands equally as much from himself as from others, if not more. I do not believe he'd force me into a role I'd be unsuited for. And, I believe, the most important..." she trailed off for a moment and hesitated before continuing courageously, "The most important thing is that he asked me. He spoke to me first, and spoke with me, instead of approaching someone else, or telling others that we'd be married. He asked." And the Lady glared at Sir Roland Weasley, whose face had turned puce, which clashed with his hair terribly.

King Albus did not ask if the girl believed she could grow to love Lord Severus: the brief glance they exchanged was enough to tell him they were halfway there already. Their marriage would be filled with love and happiness and their children would do remarkable things. This he knew from a prophesy delivered by his wife, Queen Sybill, who dabbled with cards and predictions, but sometimes recited true words of prophesy amidst her words of doom and gloom.

Finally, King Albus announced, "Lord Prince has not only shown cunning and courage at war: he has also displayed his chivalry at the young Lady in question. I will grant the hand of Lady Hermione from the house of Granger to Lord Severus of the house of Prince. They will be united before us in binding both legal and magical in two months' time."

He saw Arthur Weasley clutching the shoulder of his youngest son hard, while Sir Henry Potter whispered something fiercely into his ear. The boy's face was going ashen, then puce and then back to pale, his hands clutched, but his father and friend would keep his temper from flaring: there was no fighting against the will of the King. He'd have to grant Sir Roland a bit more land with plenty of serfs, perhaps hasten to arrange his marriage to Lady Lavender, who was much better suited for him anyway. The Weasleys were not only his vassals, after all: they also owned lands in the continent, and were also vassals to Gellert Auf Grindelwald, King of the Saxons.

Arranging the wedding of Lord Prince and Lady Granger so fast would cause havoc, of course, but King Albus loved it. He loved parties, especially weddings, and he loved the feeling of panic when his courtiers fought to find the best fabrics and tailors and charms for their hair and skin. He loved the food served in grand parties, too, but most of all, judging by the look Lord Severus and Lady Hermione had exchanged, he'd best make the wedding a fast one, or the maiden at the altar would definitely not be a virtuous one.

Oh yes, Lady Hermione and Lord Severus would be very happy indeed.

* * *

_*Dumbledore's gay. There were gay people in medieval times, and there were gay kings too, but a king could not remain unmarried. I'm compromising here._

_Here's a challenge for the other SSHG-writers: Medieval AU's ;)_


	2. Chapter 2

_I was bored so I cooked up this one. ;) No SS/HG in this one though, sorry. _

_In the future, if I have the time:_

_-The legendary siege of Lady Hermione at Grimmauld Castle_  
_-The future of the House of Prince, with Lady Hermione Prince and Lord Severus Prince, incl. wedding, as requested by Worrywart (I really need to research medieval weddings for this, though. Medieval Europe isn't really my expertise)_  
_-How the future Lady Hermione Granger first met her future husband, and their courtly love and interactions in the court of King Albus at Hogwarts Castle_  
_-How Lady Lilie Potter got spurned and humiliated (several times)_  
_-Some other medieval jobs in the wizarding world, as well as the lives of witches (an essay by Mr Rudbeckia Parkinson-Weasley for the A.D.W.U., year 2026, rejected because of blatant plagiarism)_

* * *

**A short introduction to Medieval warrior-wizards, adapted from lectures of Mistress Minerva McGonagall to young Lady Hermione Granger, omitting the dozens of interruptions and places where the pupil took over the lecture herself by reciting something she'd read from _'Historia Magi Militibus'_.)**

The knights are divided into four Orders: The Knights of Gryffindor, The Knights of Slytherin, The Knights of Ravenclaw and The Knights of Hufflepuff. Each Order has their special abilities and capabilities, but also their flaws. The very best knights from all four Orders can one day be granted membership in one of the two highest Orders: The Order of the Phoenix and The Order of Merlin, which is the highest class of knights. Both these High Orders accept knights from all four lower Orders based on their nobility of heart and achievements.

The Knights of Slytherin are strategists and can be very creative. They are usually cunning and their leaders allow them to improvise on battlefield, leading to better results than ordering them to charge upon the enemy in a wave. They can abandon their steeds in battle and fight on foot, dancing through battlefield if they deem it more appropriate. They can employ Dark magic in battle, something which is mostly shunned by all other Orders, and do not shy from being ruthless and cruel to achieve victory. They also employ archers from a distance. They are, however, often unwilling to attack first, and might even withdraw from battle if the victory seems uncertain.

The Knights of Gryffindor have a tendency to attack first and head on. They do not shy away from any battle, preferring to fight on top their large and angry steeds. They are usually the spear-head of any charge, attacking to break the enemy lines. They, however, need to commanded rigorously, and still have the tendency to disobey their commanders, which can cause them to be led to a trap. They are also easily provoked into attacking before they're supposed to. They admire courage and are extremely loyal to their comrades and cause, which sometimes can cause problems in the bigger scale of battle. Usually loud and boisterous, they do not always get along with The Knights of Slytherin, seeing their strategies as cowardly.

The Knights of Ravenclaw are engineers. While they do well in battle and wield very sophisticated and large-scale battle-spells, they are also usually in charge of any siege. They handle and build war-machinery, employing their crafting spells and twining it with Muggle technology, creating weapons such as ballistas and catapults that fling burning and acidic curses upon the enemy battlements and fighters, or hexes that can corrode stone into sand within hours. Sometimes, though, they tend to develop strategies too complicated, which tend to backfire, and can bicker in the heat of battle for the best strategy to employ. The Knights of Ravenclaw also have problems of listening to advice from the others, and the most complicated strategies are wasted when Knights of Gryffindor are in the field. The individual fighters are usually skilled with the widest range of battle-spells, some of which are difficult to counter. They also are trained in the largest array of healing spells.

The Knights of Hufflepuff best work in teams. While the other Orders often fight as individuals, The Knights of Hufflepuff have specialised in team-wielded battle-spells. They divide into groups that work together to a common goal by crafting and flinging very large spells, which affect large groups and objects instead of individual enemy fighters. A well-functioning and trained group of Knights of Hufflepuff can take out large battalions from the enemy lines. They are usually also in charge of rations, bringing food and water for the entire army, which is especially necessary for The Knights of Gryffindor, who'd deploy to battle with barely any food or water rations, not to mention changes of clothes, healing potions, extra armoury or weapons. In defensive battle they are at their best, creating what is called "the yellow and black line" which cannot be crossed. Without their group they are, however, quite weak. They are also very predictable in battle, often employing the same patterns of casting and sword-fighting over and over again.

In battle warrior-wizards use both their hands: they wield their wands with the dominant hand, leaving the other free for a sword. They spend countless hours from very young age to developing extra strength to their left hands, and though many prefer to use a potion before the biggest battles for extra strength, they need rigorous practice to gain the necessary strength.

The sword of a warrior-wizard is short compared to the long broadswords wielded by many Muggle knights. Short and sturdy, crafted from special metal and forged with spells to reinforce them, they're both a weapon and a shield, built to withstand enemy spellfire and work as conduit for magic: a skilled warrior-wizard can charge his sword with a bit of magic and then cast momentarily with both his sword and his wand.

The battle-armour is quite heavy, although nowhere near as heavy as its Muggle counterpart. The armoury is reinforced with specialised spells and charms for protection against impacts and for mobility. The Knights of Gryffindor tend to wear the heaviest armour, while the Knights of Slytherin opt for the most mobile armour, preferring the ability to move fast and quietly. The Knights of Slytherin are, in fact, said to recite secret spells of their own Order upon their armour, which enable them to move more quietly than anyone else. The armoury is topped by a tabard and cloak in the sacred colours of the Orders: Gryffindor colours are red and gold, the Slytherins wear green and silver, Ravenclaw colours are blue and bronze, and The Knights of Hufflepuff wear black and yellow. The same colours are reflected in the banners and flags of the knights, as well as in the fabrics worn by their steeds. The colours help the commanders to distinguish different Orders in the battlefield from a distance.

All warrior-wizards begin their training from a very early age. They learn battle-spells from the age of eleven, but before that they're training with pre-charged magical swords and wands that fire pre-loaded stunning and sword-charging spells. Their training is very physical. They also learn to handle and care for horses and their armoury. Jousting is good practice for the older warrior-wizards: the lances are reinforced with magic, but instead of using a shield with their lance like Muggle knights do, the warrior-wizards use their wands to divert the impact. This can cause some rather spectacular results. Some use Abraxans for aerial jousting.

Though handling horses (and, to lesser extent, Abraxans) is considered one of the most important aspects of training young warriors-to-be, and all knights knew how to ride, horses are not necessarily used on all missions due to problems in transportation. While large groups of warriors with their weaponry and supplies can be moved with relative ease with Portkeys, horses can easily break their legs from the violent jolts, and they tend to panic from both the use of both Portkeys and Apparition. Training a wizard to Apparate with a horse can take a lot of training, and training a horse to remain calm through the process can take even more: usually calming potions are used, but they tend to leave the animals lethargic for long periods of time. All knights are therefore trained to fight on foot, and the Knights of Hufflepuff, for example, prefer to enter to fight on foot instead of horseback.

The trainers also teach the young warrior-wizards some basic healing spells and how to employ the basic healing potions. The groups are trained to move in controlled group for travel, for the armies need to be covered by specialised groups of sorcerers who use their magic to shield and hide the travelling armies of wizards. These so-called Covering-Wizards also employ some extremely talented witches in their ranks: while witches are generally house-makers, wives and mothers, potioneers, herbologists and healers, hiding a a large moving often loud group of wizards and beasts requires very specialised magic and high power...

Lady Granger, will you please stop waving your hand in the air?!


	3. Chapter 3

**Lady Hermione and the siege of Castle Grimmauld**

The tale of young Lady Hermione defending Castle Grimmauld against the siege of one of the Dark Lord Voldemort's most trusted generals, Lucius, Lord Malfoy, became a legend by its own right. It was composed to a ballad and preformed at the court of King Albus in the presence of both the king Albus and the queen Sybill, who greatly enjoyed it and rewarded the bard with a fine pouch of golden Galleons.

The first portrait of the young Lady Hermione was unveiled and presented before the court, and though young Lady Hermione, a very pretty young witch, had only spent a little bit of time with the portrait, implanting her personality and features to her moving likeness, the portrait could hold conversation on a multitude of subjects with stunning grace and politeness, displaying great intelligence.

Later, when her betrothal to Sir Severus Snape, the new Lord Prince, was announced, many witches and wizards remembered how that occasion also marked the first time the aforementioned Sir Severus had paid no attention at all to Lady Lilie Potter, much to her displeasure.

Queen Sybill also announced she'd prophesied the union between Lord and Lady Prince from her drink, but everyone thought she was quite insane. Lady Sybill had a tendency to steep dried and partially crushed leaves of various plants in hot water and drink the concoction, telling the future from the soggy plants at the bottom of the cup. She'd also predicted that one day the art of Divination would profit from such a practice, although to be refined to perfection it'd require leaves from a bush grown in a faraway land in east: none believed her, for all proper Seers knew the future could best be read from the innards of white pigeons and black goats.

The siege itself was an impressive affair. Lord Voldemort, the self-styled king of the magical Franks, ordered one of his most trusted servants, Lord Malfoy, to attack Castle Grimmauld, which was mostly unoccupied but also important in Lord Voldemort's strategy and plan of conquer. The main forces of King Albus were opposing Lord Voldemort's forces elsewhere or occupying Castle Hogwarts, and so Castle Grimmauld, the ancestral castle of the Black family, had been left unoccupied. Sir Sirius, the current Lord Black, was a reckless and careless lecher and a drunk, who'd left the important castle, which had decayed miserably in the last decades, in the care of two very old wizards too ill and sickly to move, and a small group of five of serving-witches who, in addition to house-elves, usually served the guests on finer occasions.

Occupying it was also the young Hermione, Lady Granger, who'd been recently orphaned. Lady Minerva, her teacher, had brought her to Anglia to learn from the best tutors and master in the realm, and she'd been taking shelter at the unoccupied Castle Grimmauld, though Lady Minerva was prepared to move her at a moment's notice, should the lecherous Lord Black return home. One of the two elderly wizards occupying Castle Grimmauld was the ancient wizard Flamel, who, despite his advanced age, was a supreme master in Alchemy, and Lady Hermione was allowed to learn directly from him, though he found very few worthy of his time. Lady Minerva had left Lady Hermione for a few days in order to visit her clan in Scotland.

Lord Malfoy had been the one to devastate Lady Granger's family castle and slaughter her family, and so his unexpected attack must have terrified the young lady, aged only sixteen at the time. The attackers Apparated outside the castle without a warning, and though the protective enchantments prevented them from flying over the battlements with their brooms and Apparating inside, the serving-witches and one of the elderly wizards managed to slam the only open gate shut in front of them, if only barely. None inside the castle count Disapparate for help, owls were shot down, the floo access had been blocked, and the castle was under siege. Their only hope was that someone from the village close by could escape and alert the forces of King Albus, but Lord Malfoy's forces attacked the village viciously, torturing and killing the serfs who'd been unable to escape to the safety of the castle's walls in time.

The castle would probably have fallen quite soon if it wasn't for the stubborn Lady Hermione, who rallied the unorganized forces to defend the castle. The serving-witches, who'd been almost paralysed by fear, were quickly given tasks and taught new ways to use their usual tools of trade, and many a dark wizard found out that while a 'Protego' stopped a curse, it did not stop a stone rolling pin or a heavy iron roast spit flung with high velocity spell. It took them a long time to learn how to duck, but they suffered some losses before they could understand what was going on, and a few wizards ended their lives skewered with a used spit which were used to roll a whole pork of a lamb over a fire. Even the elderly Squib caretaker, Argus Filch, took part in defending the castle: he was seen emptying chamber pots over the battlements on the attackers, humiliating them severely, and was later rewarded for his services with a fine amount of Galleons and the great honour to serve in king Albus' castle.

Still, the castle would have fallen, if not for Lady Hermione, who next rallied the humble house-elves. She founded their own order of Saving and Protecting Elf Warriors, S.P.E.W., and though the elves could scarcely hurt a witch or a wizard, they rallied to protect the castle and its inhabitants. Lady Hermione and the elderly alchemist Flamel produced many fine potions, and one of the bravest house-elves managed to sneak into the enemy camp and slip Draught of the Living Death into one of their ale caskets: many a wizard fell to the drink before they realised what was happening, and with the lack of a potion to counter it, the fallen wizards were now useless. The attackers became paranoid over their food and drink, especially after the same elf had sprinkled another potion over the meat, causing terrible runs for many a wizard.

The siege engines were rolled in, and the battle began in earnest. Witches inside used their power to reinforce the battlements and destroy the flying rocks and caskets which most likely held vicious poisons which would have rained down on the poor victims. The fierce house-elves attacked the siege engines themselves, transfiguring the wood to stone which cracked under heavy pressure. One particularly nasty house-elf called Kreacher had apparently admired the one single rare and fine glass window which decorated Castle Grimmauld: he had learned to transfigure glass, and cleverly transfigured the wheels of a catapult to glass instead of stone. As the catapult jumped after flinging its dangerous load against a tower, the device jumped, which not only fractured the wheels, but utterly shattered them apart, flinging sharp and lethal shards of glass over the hapless wizards who'd just been prepared the charm a new load into the catapult. Two wizards died, three others were wounded, and Kreacher's gleeful cackling was heard far and wide.

In the middle of this all battled Lady Hermione: the magical winds made her fabulously curly and wild mane of hair billow wildly, and she flung powerful jinxes, hexes and curses with incredible ease, powerful enough to devastate grown wizards. She ducked and blocked, and fought despite the vicious cutting curse she received from sir Dolohov, whom she left bleeding in her wake. The bard later described her as akin to an angel doing battle against demons, powerful and magnificent despite doing what was supposed to be a work for wizards. A tapestry was later woven of this event, depicting her surrounded by fighting house-elves and facing various black-clad wizards with her wands drawn in defence of her current abode.

In the end she faced Lord Lucius, and the two fought viciously until, using great skill and intelligence, Lady Hermione managed to strike Lord Malfoy where it hurt: she Hexed his hair clean off. Lord Malfoy, a vain and conceited wizard, felt his wondrous and well-groomed hair slip off his head and land with a loud splat into a puddle on the ground, and then did Lord Lucius give a loud wail of devastation and distress, falling to his knees in horror of the dreadful damage on his hair. Lady Narcissa, the long-suffering wife of Lord Malfoy, who was later married off to a lesser lord and sent to exile with what was left of her dowry, later funded research to develop a Pensieve, where she could finally witness her erstwhile husband's devastation, and the stories tell she snorted like a pig with gleeful laughter.

As Lady Hermione had Lord Lucius at wandpoint and at her mercy, a series of loud cracks broke the air: one of the brave house-elves had managed to sneak out and get help, and king Albus' forced had finally arrived, led by the brave and gallant sir Longbottom. The siege and battle for Castle Grimmauld had been won.


End file.
